Tanaka Jiro, twenty-eight years old, single, girlfriend, Suella Handelberg.
Occupation Dungeon Tester (full-time) + Recruiter
Magic Aptitude 8 (General Class)
Officer of the Year: Warrior
'Ohohohohohohohoho! You still have the same pungent skin color, Suella!
Geez, Kyra.
What the hell is this thing?
That's the first thing I thought of her.
And then my next thought was that I was honestly surprised that in real life there were people who could put their hands on such a high-powered girl's high-pitched smile.
Isn't that funny because she's from another world?
I was about to submit my report to Suela as usual and talk about my upcoming vacation when a high-pitched laugh that could only have been timed to fit the occasion entered my ears.
You'll be able to find out the source of this, and Keely's expression is not good, as if she had bitten down on a bitter worm.
...... dragonner?
I can't help but have a bad feeling from the sight of Suela putting her hand to her forehead and shaking her head as if to say "not again", but it's impossible not to look.
Once I broke off the conversation and turned my gaze to look at her, there was a dragoness whose lustrous scales like sapphire could be spotted everywhere .
Well, since it's an office, it makes sense that he's wearing a woman's suit, but there's no red, and the red fits the color of the blue scales relative to the color of the blue scales, but combined with the unique wings of the dragonborn, it's an indescribably delicate combination.
And unrelated to this, I've never seen a vertical roll of gray hair that looks shiny and silvery.
Well, Suera's going to have to take the female symbol.
So, Jiro, this report is in regards to.
Are you ignoring me?
And once Suela thought she'd looked at her, she tried to move on, to pretend she didn't exist.
But a screeching voice waited for it.
'...... Huh, what is it?'
I don't know if I've ever seen Suela so apathetic and inorganic before .
I don't think even I would have reacted so reluctantly after fighting off a headache, pulling an all-nighter, and realizing that I'd be working overtime again today, would I?
No, can I say that it doesn't pale in comparison?
'I'm here to see how good your testers are at your place!
"Please check your report from the other day. If you've lost it, please find it in the folder in the shared holder three days ago and copy it yourself.
Correction.
It's not so pale, it's a blizzard. It's blizzardy.
The tundra's icy blizzard is emanating from Suela's gaze.
It's also great that she can take it head on and still smile steadfastly, but I'm not going to step through the mines praising her for it.
Instead, instead of reason, the male instincts that sound the alarm, plus the survival instincts forged in the dungeon, are telling us to run.
There's no reason to resist it, so when a woman is in a bad mood, her body takes action to seek refuge.
...... Ms. Kaylee, what is this all about?
Oh, Jiro, you've never met this guy, his name is Kayla, but he's a dragonborn from the same department, a self-proclaimed rival of Suela's.
'Competitors? And you call yourself that.
Obeying that instinct would mean abandoning your job, so you can't make that choice, and so you take refuge in Kaylee's place where you can hear what's going on.
''Is there such a thing as a self-proclaimed rival?''
You know what? There's something odd about the way you're getting involved with Suela one way or another, and it's just us saying it on our own.
Thank you for the ...... vague source of information.
You're welcome.
It may sound nice to say that he's a bystander, but what he's doing is no different than an onlooker who's whispering to himself and trying to keep the damage from being directed at him.
And although Kaylee described him as a rival, there is no doubt that he's been rejected as an absolute pain in the ass by Ruby.
It's more like someone from the office you don't want to get involved with.
She's a member of the other parties, but I'm surprised that the good-natured Suela has such a thing.
When you're done, get back to work as soon as you can. We're busy, unlike you.
'What? I hate being a dullard. I can't imagine that level of work accumulating in my life. It's hard to have a subordinate (tester) who can't do it. Well, if you need help with that, may I help you?
No, thank you.
Yeah, I think I've gotten a pretty good idea of our relationship from this conversation.
These aren't rivals. It's oil and water.
Suela is trying to fend off waves and the dragonborn, or Kyra, is trying to make waves and enjoy the moment.
Personally, I don't want to be a part of it either.
That's why it's a bad idea to just do your job!
...... Seriously?
When I looked at the stupid-looking woman who is still laughing and talking with Suela while thinking of putting effort into the "ha" part, I naturally felt something akin to nausea.
Ugh, that's the closest thing to a horrible combination of annoying and good at their job.
Feeling the goosebumps rise, you at least check with Ms. Keely for some relief.
"How long, by the way?
...... as much as Suela.
What?
I reached out to him, and he cut me off.
It's impossible.
That's what I wanted to scream.
When was that last time you had a drama rival?
I thought high-powered workaholics only existed in the world of drama and comics .
At least I'd assumed that most working people with that attitude were self-absorbed and incapable of doing their jobs.
"Huh?
Well, that's what you'd normally think.
I couldn't believe it when I saw it.
Hearing me say it, I can't believe it either, and Kaylee agrees.
Of course you do.
Even now, the way you keep dragging out the conversation with Suela, there's no way to get the impression that you can do the job, no matter how hard you try.
But are you sure?
What?
No, it's getting pretty loud.
'Oh, it's okay, it's okay, it's just something cute like this out there. Kayla is just making a big face because Master Evia isn't at the meeting and she'll be subdued soon.
Subdued?
Our company is supposed to work mainly on troublesome matters, but finally the word "subdue" has been used.
It's not surprising in itself, but even if this is an office, even if it's mainly for combat work, this is a place to write papers.
How in the world do they plan to subdue it?
My men are more likely to say, 'Do your job, a**h*le.
It happened so fast and it was over in a flash, I'll just tell you what happened.
When I flashed, Kyra was blown up and I was forced to take a seat.
I thought I heard the supervisor's voice first, but looking at the results, I'm sure I didn't hear it.
He was leaning back against the backrest, a far cry from his commanding form earlier.
'You see, I've been subdued.
Subdued, huh?
That's a different world, and we can't just talk about our jobs.
Using magic to get her back to work is so original!
Perhaps the toughness inherent in a dragonborn's nature allows him to perform such a feat.
Why don't you go get Suela some coffee for now?
I will.
Come on, boy.
I'm not that old anymore.
We can't sit here and watch this all the time.
I'll bring some food to relieve Suela, who's looking a little tired.
There's been a thing.
Wow, what's that all about, that's amazing.
There are people like that, aren't there?
Here's your tea.
Sorry.
When I told him about the morning's events during a break in the dungeon he was taking on in the afternoon, Minami's eyes lit up and she was excited that a new character had arrived .
Masaru and Kaido's reactions were perfunctory, each sipping tea.
Warm tea is so refreshing in a cold place.
It's not cold, it's just the atmosphere is dark.
I have no choice, that I do. After all, we are right above the graveyard, that we are.
I mean, who are we to take a break from that sort of thing?
Thanks to my warding skills, that I do. It's because of this that I can rest inside the dungeon, that I can.
"Idiot, this is all happening because the South asked me to refer to a list of horror movie and horror game titles in my report. What are you going to do. We go back to the entrance, but it's a pile of undead. I'm going in waves of the undead, and whichever way I go, I'm dead ahead.
I am sorry, that I am. But I have no regrets, that I do not regret!
Pull yourself together!
Za?
The pleasant sound of a light harisen .
I sipped my tea while watching the familiar tsking of Katsura's southward tsking, and if I only looked down, I could see moving bodies and moving bones across the translucent floor.
Five or six meters high.
The combination of magical scaffolding and cloaking wards at the end of a tree branch that can never support your weight, is southern magic that has created a lot of magic in recent months.
Although the name of the magic is 'lounge', it is a very useful spell that allows you to take a break even if it is only against small fry.
The South who has the flexibility to come up with soundproofing and camouflage features to hide from the outside is an excellent spell, even though he has some personality difficulties.
"As for the future, where are we on mapping?
"We've mapped the entire area from the entrance to here. But it's a pretty big city. You're gonna be spending a lot of time just trying to find the entrance to the basement.
I know.
The Immortal King's dungeon is a combination of a field dungeon and a labyrinth dungeon.
It's an underground labyrinth that can be entered through an entrance somewhere in the field that became the City of Death in the first half of the dungeon and the capital in the second half.
Currently there are only zombies and skeletons in the capital, but thanks to the report the south submitted before, it's filled with heart-rending horror movie specifics that are troubling.
''So now we're going to experience a scene like the last scene in a Hollywood movie, is there a safe way to get home?''
How about running as fast as you can so that the zombies can't keep up with you?
South, what's the maximum distance you can run for now?
Three kilometers is all I need, that it is.
It's impossible.
'How about a run on the roof?'
'There will be fewer of them, but I heard footsteps reacting to the sound of footsteps, so they'll reach out and collapse the scaffolding, and if we can magically reinforce the roof as we go, we might be able to go with the ...... candidate.
If you're going to do that, it would be faster if I built a foothold and ran through, that I did.
"The bottleneck is the aerial power that would exist in the undead army?
As promised, bats, vultures and ravens will be part of the undead army's aerial force.
There are vampires and ghosts as well, but as far as vampires are concerned, I'm not worried about ghosts unless they're very high up in the hierarchy.
"As promised, it looks like dragon zombies will fly as well, that is.
Then I'll run for cover. I don't want to be fighting dragons and shit like that now.
Right.
It's about time. Shall we get to the bottom of this?
Yeah.
There's no point in going on and on about it.
It's important to make a clean break.
Rejoice, boys. You're about to make your Hollywood debut.
Wow, that means a frontal assault, that it is.
Well, it's a method that can be used to detect the enemy's low level of intelligence, isn't it?
I knew it was coming.
You'll be able to find a lot more information on the subject.
It's a way to conserve your magic. It's no laughing matter if you use it poorly for scaffolding or reinforcement and can't use it when you need it.
''In a situation like that, the first person to drop out would be senior Kaidou, that is.
''Hahahaha, and then it's Minami who has a disastrous way of dropping out.
"Oh?
Hey, I don't care if we fight, but me and Katsura will get us out of here, okay? Or is it something else? Do you want to be their dinner?
---- ...
I feel like a fish today.
Sashimi set meal with fish from another world, that I've become very popular.
Should we bemoan the fact that he's a cash cow or be happy that we're able to exchange pleasantries? Well, it's working well together, really, like catnip for the cat. No problem.
If there's any proof that this moaning zombie downstairs is going to go away, just point to it and scare it.
We're gonna need sashimi or a fresh fish shop when we get out of the dungeon.
Can you handle it?
I can do that.
You're good at this.
It's not that I don't doubt your cooking skills, but when I was in high school my cooking skills were limited to shredded fish, not shredded.
There's no way I could cut the fish by mistake.
Even if you could, it would be chunked into pieces at best.
When you think about it, all I can say is that Katsu is already in the realm of the housewife.
Well... I guess we've decided on tonight's menu.
Then I decided to have a glass of sake and grabbed the hilt while deciding on a reward for myself.
Let's go.
Yes, that I do.
Whoosh!
Yes, sir.
On the count of three, three claps of my fingers, I give the signal and South releases the warding.
Then from what little foothold we have left, we hitched a run for the cemetery entrance.
"Ahead, a mixed army of zombies and skeletons, how many?
"About thirty, that it is. Leader, the one on the right is thinner, that it is! Leader assault, Kaido-senpai, with magic, that is!
If you run through the main street, you will inevitably run into a crowd of enemies.
It should be avoided by all means, but you must avoid the risk of getting pushed into a cul-de-sac by getting sidetracked in an unfamiliar place.
"Firebombing!
Then in order to break through to the front, Kaido created three softball-sized flaming spheres and shot forward, hitting the three closest zombies and exploding them.
"Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
We only killed a couple of them.
But the aim is to delay their response by the blast, and with a shout of monkeys, the zombies and skeletons are divided into upper and lower bodies by the sideways cleave.
Don't get too close to the wall and pass through at once, that it does. If you get too close to the wall, that it will react to the wall, the wall-puller will come, that it will!
Wall-piercing.
It's a bit of a stretch, but it's more like those common in horror movies where the zombies come out of the wall.
At first I thought I could handle it, but I was surprised to see a horde of zombies.
Normally, I would have been able to deal with them with ease, but I was so surprised and couldn't react fast enough that I accidentally wiped out the entire wall.
Damage is damage, but the damage that goes directly to your heart is not to be underestimated.
A person with a weak heart will be out with one shot.
Senpai, there's a ghost in the air!
Not again!
''Sheng, take cover behind you, Kaido-senpai will hold the front, that he will.
Okay!
Yes, sir!
We will destroy their leader, that we will.
A wavering white shadow wavers as it advances while cutting down.
Zombies, skeletons and the usual ghosts of horror movies, well, they're ghosts, but they're a pain in the ass to defeat.
Physics doesn't work, but the three senses - numbing, cold and clawing - are mixed in with the attacks.
Furthermore, even if it passes through magic it's hard to be lethal with a slash.
If you wanted to defeat it with a slash, you'd have to use a special weapon or cut its head off accurately with a blade that let magic through, or grind it to pieces until it couldn't regenerate.
At least it's a relief that it's relatively easy to defeat with magic.
You can use magic to break the bamboo or cut off the head.
Inhale as you fill your lungs and simultaneously fill your throat with magic.
Then let it out as you mix it in.
''Kaaaaazzzzz!
When I activated Scream, the ghosts disappeared and the zombies and skeletons in front of me were blown away.
Oh, that's just the leader's fantastic kendo, that it is.
'Shut up, don't be impressed with what you could have done if you did it on the spur of the moment.
That's right, this shock wave was created accidentally when you were attacked while building up your magic, and when you shook the mineral tree on the spur of the moment, you triggered the Scream.
Originally, it was a skill that could be used to energize the body, but if you focus on making your opponent flinch, it showed surprising performance.
It was only a shockwave to opponents with physical bodies, but it was quite effective against ambiguous entities like ghosts.
Well, when it turned out that he was able to do this, the south told him which kid was the big boy recital.
Well, it's true that physical damage does exist: ......
Let's get through it and go with zero overtime.
With their voices coming from behind them all together, they jumped into the crowd of undead that gradually began to fill the road.
Kaido-senpai, please use the 3D Maneuver, that I do.
Split more left and right swings instead of up and down, cut away, kick away, blow away .
I'm burning for a good beer today!
Using the plate of magic created in the air as a foothold, Kaido jumped up and rained down a rain of flames .
My aim is still rough, but I'm distributing it in consideration of not causing any damage to us.
He cuts through to the landing site in one swift motion and crouches down to kill the impact of the landing.
Stepping into that cover is Katsu.
'Soooo, ha!
The small body of a small man is able to transmit spinning power as if he were spitting out of his lungs, and his magical fist strike blows away three adult male zombies in one go.
"Katsu, doesn't that feel weird?
Don't say it, I'm trying not to think about it.
It may be an escape from an unfamiliar sensation, but it can't be helped, as he puts everything into each blow and tries to avoid relying on a series of blows as much as possible.
You can't blame them for that.
Even through the mineral tree, a bad feeling is a bad feeling.
After cutting the undead, the tree will take 50 percent more time to clean up.
It's also a nice idea to have a growing sword.
What? Leader, we're responding to search, that we are! The big one is on its way, that it is!
How much time do we have before the attack?
At this speed, I can make a cup of noodles, that I can.
Hey, let's get the hell out of here!
I think I've made too much noise.
I can hear the thumping sound of footsteps, loud for a human and dull for a beast, but definitely approaching.
"I agree, that one's going to be a pain in the ass.
From the sound of it, it's only one of them, but it's a pain in the ass to be paired with a zombie.
I'll move my hands and feet when I have time to talk, that I will!
We'll reduce our takedown ratio a little bit and focus on escaping.
Minimizing the amount of engagement will make the sound of footsteps fade away, little by little.
"Pfft! The air is delicious, that it is.
It's a rare occasion when the air in Tokyo is so good, isn't it?
You can smell it through your mask.
Okay, I'm gonna take a roll call just in case.
Two.
Scatter, that is.
South, that's definitely not a letter, it's a four.
They went through the gate safely and had a personnel roll call.
You made it home safely today.
How's that going?
"Mostly bones and magical stones. There aren't many types of undead material, so it was easy to put them together.
Once it's secured, it's time to see what you did today.
Remove the cover on your backpack and you'll find two or three bags of magical bones and leather.
So this is what the magic stone is in the rough, that it is.
Apparently, the undead don't need to eat, which makes it easier to store magic inside their bodies. It's a bit snobby, but I hear it can be converted to many things if you process it.
Shouldn't this one be a little over 20,000?
Yeah, as usual, 20 percent of the money is shared savings (party) and the rest is split four ways.
You can find a round, purple jewel-like object at the fingertips of Minami, who picks one out of the jangling leather bag.
It was in a reasonable size leather bag.
That's about four thousand a head, but that's not small.
Anyway, on top of this we get a fixed wage, hourly, we can't complain.
Oh, that's all for the four of us?
I wish that was the end of it, but they don't seem to be able to finish the job with a smile on their face.
Kyra, mister.
The dragon man Kyra Nostalfel, a member of the regular Demon King's army, stood unnoticed in the same flashy suit as before.
''The zombies' demon gem, that's a lower middle ground at best.
What can I do for you?
"There was no need for you guys to be here. My testers are going to be back soon, and you're going to be there. That's all I know.
She's just passing the time, she says so implicitly.
And she's looking at us like we're just pebbles in the sand.
I read her with a nickname to build a wall.
''I don't know why Suela hired these ordinary bones, you're well and truly above average, but the rest of the team has its flaws.
Price-taking and scoring are tepid expressions.
I can feel the magic temperature in the pit of my stomach rising at the tone of valuing and dismissing them as worthless.
"If you have no need, we'll go.
"One moment, sir, and it seems my testers have returned. As a superior, I'll tell you how low you are.
He suppresses his anger and tries to walk away, but he scornfully controls our actions as if he's stepping on them.
It's bad timing .
The gate we came out of moves, and three more people come out of it.
"Fire clearing.
Oh, good job, Mr. Tanaka.
A lightly mingled look.
An aristocratic young man with a smiling face and an air of composure.
From the south, he seems to be a handsome man who stands in the way of the protagonist's rival, but it's a strange thing to say.
His light brown hair is thin and soft, and he has an idol-like appearance that seems to be popular with the ladies, ah, a look that this high-handed Kyra would love.
''Good work, Toru-san. So how is your work going?
Yes, the magic bag didn't restrict my movement, so I took out the boss on the 15th level. The results were great.
Oh, Mr. Toru. Did you forget how hard you worked on your boss?
Yes, if we hadn't followed up, you'd be in bed in the emergency room right now.
No, I believed in you guys. I didn't want to lose that fight.
Honestly, this conversation is making me want to go home.
The South screams soft, and she's right.
I'm tempted to ask if they aren't ashamed of themselves.
Kaido is jealous of the beautiful girls who are becoming adults of a different genre and is worried about them.
You can't blame me for this, but I want to do it too, don't you think?
Very well. Let's go get your money.
'Yes, how far do you think we'll go today?'
At least 100,000, I'm sure.
'We almost went to 200,000 the other day, so hopefully we can surpass that.
OK, I know these guys don't mean any offense, but no offense doesn't mean we don't have to think about them.
In fact, we're losing, but it's annoying that we're being taken for granted as if we're the absolute best.
In addition, the two women may be sober, but Kyra and Hikumi are definitely 'on purpose'.
I can see it in their eyes.
Hidden behind a princely smile are muddy eyes, a mixture of arrogance and superiority from standing on top.
And perhaps he went out of his way to show us he was willing to spend such a small sum.
And then, sensing a satisfied air, Kyra gave you a triumphant look from her position that only we would see.
Yeah, okay.
Don't say hello.
Just go away.
Walk away congenial and happy.
Wordlessly take a cigarette and light it.
Gentlemen, I know exactly how you feel. Good, real good natured.
Inhale and exhale deeply enough to allow it to soak through your body and cool your head.
But emotions don't settle down that easily.
My daily training has kept my head cool and my heart hot.
That seems to be the same for Kaido and the others.
I've grown a lot more observant since I started working in the dungeon.
Naturally, my cheeks are grinning like a crescent moon.
"May I remind you that the people who laugh when they're angry are the most fearsome.
You don't have to look behind you to see it.
You definitely look like me.
Your eyes are twinkling suspiciously and your mouth is a crescent moon smile.
if they're on the hero's side... then this one looks like a member of the demon king's army.
well....they're actually members of the devil king's army...so there's no problem!
These people are becoming more and more familiar.
"The law of the jungle is forcing the law of the jungle, and you regret your mistake in imposing it.
Okay, let's get to work.
Tanaka Jiro, twenty-eight years old, single, girlfriend, and Suela Handelberg.
Occupation Dungeon Tester (full-time) + Recruiter
Magic Aptitude 8 (General Class)
Officer of the Year: Warrior
status
Force 504 → Force 775
Endurance 663 → Endurance 844
Quickness 358 → Quickness 501
Endurance 447 (-5) -> Endurance 666 (-5)
Instrumental 369 → Instrumental 498
Knowledge 62 → Knowledge 77
Intuition 88 → Intuition 132
Luck 5 -> Luck 5
Magical power 300 → Magical power 471
state
nicotine addiction
lung pollution
Word of the Day.
Yeah, well, you know, I just pay you back for your work.